Just in my Head remake
by AthenaGA94
Summary: Bubbles is in High School now, and to say the least dreams aren't coming true for the little cutie. She is overlooked by her sisters and can't get out of her head. But when the Rowdyruffs come back to town will things change for our little girl blue?
1. They're Back

**So I wrote the story 'Just in my Head' awhile ago, but as I was reading through it I thought that maybe I should rewrite it a little. So here is a new perception on the story. Again, if you read the last story, I have changed the name of the girls, because I believe they don't keep their names when they become teenagers.**

**Bubbles-Brooke**

**Buttercup-Blaire**

**Blossom-Bridget**

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><p>I sat in the back of my Integrated Algebra classroom and simply observed. My mind wandered between different subjects, but my eyes always found the back of Blaire's head, staring blankly. I hated math, it was so definite. There was no room for anyone to be creative. 2 + 2 would always equal 4; it would never equal 8 or 23. Blaire's head bobbed lightly to the music she was listening to. I never understood it. Ms. Patterson would have a riot because I zoned out for a couple seconds, while Blaire never paid attention. She was always listening to music. <em>But she can answer every question Patterson throws at her.<em> I remind myself. A sigh escapes my lips as I sway slowly to her bobbing head. _Hmm...well if I'm going to zone out...Townsville has been relatively quiet the past few weeks. Statistically, wouldn't that mean something's going to happen._

"Brooke, are you willing yourself to join the class? Or shall we just deem you hopeless?" I cringed. I hated her voice, it was so—I couldn't even describe it. No wonder I always tried to zone it out. Ms. Patterson glared down at me. She could have been very beautiful, if it weren't for the permanent sneer marks etched on her face and the resonating heat of pure hatred every time she looked at me. That can put a damper on someone's looks. _If only I could stand up for myself. _I lowered my eyes dejectedly. She made it her life mission to humiliate me, what teacher does that? I save her ass, like, three times a week.

Ms. Patterson turned away from me, and addressed the class. "Now that Brooke has decided to join the class, I'd like to inform you that we will be receiving three new transfer students. They have come a long way, and we should treat them with the respect we treat each other with." I huffed, was she going to single them out too? I gave Bridget, my other sister, Blaire being the other, a wary side glance. She didn't return it. I hadn't expected her too; she was too busy jotting down every word Ms. Patterson said. She did realize it wasn't math related?

A knock came from the closed door and Ms. Patterson hurried to the door, his soft brown hair bouncing as she did so. From behind she looked like she could be a nice lady, how deceiving. When she opened the door three boys entered in an eerily uniform line, one right after the other. Normally, this wouldn't be as odd as I make it sound, but it was in the heart of the moment. I had to check to make sure my heart was where it was supposed to be, because I felt like I might just puke it up. It couldn't be them? They had been gone for a little over 10 years. No, the Jojo brothers couldn't be back, it couldn't be the Rowdyruff Brothers.

Beside me, Bridget's pencil stopped scratching abruptly. _That can't be a good sign. _My inner voice chided. When Bridget pulled herself out of her notes, it had to be important. I chanced a glance at my redheaded sister, but immediately regretted the decision. An icy air surrounded her, and I was being serious, there was literally frost curling around her seat. Even through her tightly pursed lips I could see the wisps of frosty breath curling in the air. That had definitely answered my question. I casted my gaze back to the front of the room, desperate to try and ignore the cracking of Blaire's knuckles.

The boys didn't seem like they noticed us, or at least not right out malicious "I'm-going-to-kill-you" intent. But I was certain they were just giving us a front, it would be any second now. Then they would attack. But as I watched, they simply listened to Ms. Patterson explain the rules of her classroom. The rest of the class had gone into their own little conversations, but I just watched. They didn't flinch.

Brick stood slightly ahead of the other two boys, still the definite leader of the group. He listened attentively, only moving every one and awhile to nod in response to whatever Ms. Patterson was saying. He was shorter than his other two brothers, but that didn't make him any less intimidating. I could see it in his eyes, bright red, and reradiating the power and persuasion he always possessed. He still looked like the type of asset you wanted on your side if you didn't want to end up with a knife shoved in your back.

Butch really didn't look all that much different. He wore a green soccer jersey, similar to the one Blaire was wearing, which I was certain wasn't blowing over well with her. His body still vibrated with the anticipation, always the one who needed action. But even he didn't give off anymore malicious intent, or at least no more than your average trouble maker. Strange.

But it was Boomer who caught me off-guard. He was the tallest, with a lithe frame, the frame of a track runner. His sandy blonde hair fell just in front of his pale blue eyes. It wasn't so much his look that surprised me; he looked like me, as he should. What really surprised me was the pile of books he had cradled in the nook of his arm. Boomer was dumb as a board. That much was definite about him. They had to be for show. He was never intelligent.

What the hell were they doing here? Don't they have anything better—never mind they were created to make our life living hell. "You may sit next to Brooke, in the back of the room." Ms. Patterson's voice yanked me from my thoughts. I didn't want to know who she was addressing. I didn't want to sit next to whoever she was addressing. I just hope the feeling was mutual. _I doubt that,_ my head voice muttered. I quickly pulled out my textbook and cowered behind its pages. _Yeah, maybe if you look busy whoever it is won't—_

"Is it helpful to read the textbook upside down, I've never tried it." I cringed and focused my eyes on the upside down equations of the crumpled pages. _Damn it. _The desk next to me creaked as someone sat down. I could have sworn I saw the flash of blue in the corner of my eye. _Double damn it. _I set the textbook down as slowly and as calmly as I could muster. My hands shook the entire time. "You okay there, Bubbles?" He asked curiously. A prickling numbness fell over my body. I hadn't heard that name in years. No one called me 'Bubbles', I was Brooke, just plain Brooke.

"Fine," I answered sharply, quickly flipping my textbook the correct way. The air seemed to tense, slowly smothering me, now I remember what it feels like.

"So...what are we learning about?" Boomer started again. He was just tightening the air, but he didn't stop there. He leaned across the aisle to peer at my textbook. I shied away from him and instead pushed the book closer to him. "The teacher says we're supposed to share for today." _Great. Even better. _I shoved the book so the it was at the farthest edge of my desk and turned back defiantly to my notebook. So I would just have to burn my book when I got home. Whatever. Blaire and Bridget each had one.

My gaze wandered to Bridget, who had been so lucky as to be the contender of Brick. Her desktop was laced with a web-like design of frost, but she didn't pay any mind. She had buried herself so deep in her notes that I was afraid she'd never resurface. And knowing her, that was very likely. She appeared completely at ease, save for the ice that encased her desk. Brick didn't even look at her or take note to her existence. He too was taking notes as Ms. Patterson continued the lesson.

Blaire, on the other hand, still cracked her knuckles under her desk. It had always been a bad habit of hers, but through the years it got progressively worse. Metal blasted through her ear buds that now hung around her neck, but she didn't notice. She was far too busy casting Butch malicious glares. Said Rowdy didn't even notice though, he was too busy flirting with the girl who sat in front of him. Why couldn't I be more dismissive like Bridget or more assertive like Blaire? Why did I have to be me?

"So, why are you 'Brooke' now, Bubbles?" Boomer asked slowly. He really didn't give up did he? Why did I have to share DNA with the chattiest Rowdy?

"Because, bubbles are a child's toy made of soap and water. 'Bubbles' is not a girl's name. It is undermining to a sixteen year old girl." I mumbled, mostly to myself, though I suppose Boomer heard it too. This was going to be a pretty torturous class if I had to deal with this every day.

"Alright, I think you don't want to talk to me. So I'll just leave you alone." Boomer noted with an uncomfortable laugh. Out of the corner of my eye, he shuffled his books and took my textbook onto his desk. _Yeah, definitely burning it._ "I mean, I don't blame you. My brothers and I weren't exactly the nicest to you guys." _Ah there's the simple minded Boomer you remember. Really? They weren't the nicest? _I smirked into my notebook. "But I can promise you, we're not like that anymore."

I started back him, my already shaky exterior breaking entirely. "What?" I asked skeptically. Boomer smirked in response. _Great, you gave him attention, idiot. _"I mean—" I cut in quickly as I angled myself away from him. _You can't answer him if you drown yourself in math, let's see what's number one. _I froze and chanced a glance at the textbook Boomer had on his desk. My textbook. _Alright, scratch that plan. Let's just doodle. _Why couldn't I be more like my sisters? They didn't seem phased by the boys and the boys didn't seem to be bothering them. It must be something I'm doing wrong. Am I too inviting? Well, I'd just have to avoid them then. I was not going to be the weak link this time. No not this time.


	2. What to do?

**Part 2 :)**

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><p>"I bet this is some sort of trick. They're playing the "oh-we're-good-but-only-long-enough-for-you-to-catch-us-and-then-we'll-kill-you", isn't it obvious?" Blaire stated dramatically. I glanced up briefly from my tasteless lunch, which I had just spent the last 10 minutes playing with. She had thrown her head back against the chair and lay limp. Imitating just how dead we would be, again. What a drama queen. I rolled my eyes as I cast them back down to my lunch. "We'll have to watch for any kind of slip up, but I say we just take them out now. Save us the trouble you know."<p>

Bridget glared halfheartedly in response to Blaire, as she usually did when she blew things way out of proportion. Which was more often than not. But that was Bridget and Blaire for you. Bridget was always the motherly type; she had the skeptical look down pat. Then there was Blaire the rebellious whiney child. Where did I fit in? Well, I really didn't.

"We can't be so quick to jump to conclusions, and I do not need to explain to the Professor why you got into yet another fight," Bridget stated knowingly. Blaire huffed and flipped her dark bangs out of her heavily charcoaled eyes.

"Every fight I get into has a good reason behind it." She muttered moodily under her breath. I bit back a snicker and watched Bridget roll her eyes at our melodramatic sister.

"Because 'she looked at me funny' is not a good enough reason to punch someone Blaire." Bridget replied simply as she opened her Physics textbook. "Face it; you just love the adrenaline of a good fight." This is how discussions normally went. Bridget was always the voice of reason; while Blaire demanded action...reason didn't really exist with her. I would simply watch from the sidelines. They never asked my opinions, but I was so used to it now that it didn't even faze me.

"What do you think about this Brooke?" I glanced up from my lunch tray and met Bridget's pale pink eyes with a bewildered expression.

"What?" I asked, sounding just a frazzled as I looked.

"What do you think of the Rowdyruff situation?" Bridget asked shortly. "This does concern as much as it concerns us." Since when did she start believing that? It never concerned me. I'm just there, the third member, the one who can never get out of her head. I was the ditz.

"Well—" I stopped myself. What if my opinion was wrong? Blaire would certainly point it out and of course she'd win the argument.

"I understand this is difficult to grasp, but we really need your input as well." Bridget insisted. I held back a glare. I wasn't dumb, I understood this was big. She didn't need to reinforce it by talking to me like I was a child.

"I say we give them the benefit of the doubt," I stated quickly. Blaire and Bridget both looked at me, bewildered; even I couldn't believe what had just come out of my mouth. "I mean—they didn't attack us." _Great reason, idiot. _

"Of course they didn't, they're luring us into a false sense of security and then—" Blaire exclaimed irritably. She would have ranted for the rest of the lunch period, if Bridget didn't cut in.

"Blaire, you've already had your chance to speak. It's Brooke's turn now." She snapped. Her gaze turned back to me, bright eyes flashing. "Why should we give them the benefit of the doubt?" I hesitantly twirled the spork in my hands through my pasta. I heavily doubted they would understand my reasoning. I barely understood it myself as it was.

"Well, it did feel like something was off about the entire thing. They seemed less violent, even a little tame with the entire situation. It was like they weren't even expecting a fight." I replied slowly. "I don't know—I just think we should give them another chance. I haven't found any reason to mistrust them." I added quickly.

"But we also haven't been given reason to trust them either, though I do agree with you Brooke. Something did appear to be missing." Bridget noted with a nod. She closed her book and peered between the two of us. "I believe that for now, we shouldn't act, but that also means we shouldn't interact with them either." Her gaze was locked pointedly on me by this point. "Do we understand each other?" Again aimed more to me then to Blaire. Is it just because I got the chatty Rowdy? Blaire scoffed, obviously irritated with the complete lack of action that we were taking. I simply nodded and stood to throw away my lunch, it wasn't going to be eaten.

I stood at my locker after lunch, shuffling through the textbooks and folders for my art book. I was really hoping that art would distract me for a little bit. Just long enough to not have to worry about the Rowdyruffs. I wasn't expecting a miracle, just an hour where my heart wasn't racing with rising anticipation. A smile tugged at my lips as I pulled out the sketchpad and tucked it under my arm. _Almost there, almost home free. _

"Bub—I mean Brooke, you're taking art this hour too?" I froze; my hand was gripping the locker door so tight, I was certain that my fingers were leaving dents in the metal. "We should walk together, don't you think?" Boomer pulled up next to me, his hands were dug deep in the pockets of his faded blue jeans. He smiled toothily and gestured to the art book in my hand. "I love art too, not surprising since we kind of share the same DNA." He laughed and flipped his sandy bangs out of his eyes. "Why not be an upstanding citizen and walk the new kid to class?"

How was I going to answer that? I couldn't answer, that would be interaction. But even if I didn't answer, Boomer would just follow me and continue making conversation anyway. It was a lose, lose situation. "Fine," I muttered as I slammed my locker door shut. "Follow me." I called over my shoulder shortly.

Boomer caught up with me easily, effortlessly matching his stride with mine. "You know you act a lot less cute, than you were when we were five. Now you're just kind of—"

"Well I find no reason being for being 'cute' with someone who probably has plans to kill me." I snapped back before I could hold it back. Panic-stricken, I stopped midstride. _Great job Brooke, that's how many screw ups today? _Boomer had stopped as well, but from the look on his face he didn't look at all upset. A broad smile was pulled tightly across his face and he laughed.

"Is that what you and your sisters are worried about? Trust me, if we were going to attack, we would have the moment we entered the classroom. You know Butch; he would have acted without a second though." Boomer explained amusedly. "Like I said, you don't have anything to worry about. We're not here for a fight." He added after a moment.

"Then why are you here?" I asked coolly as I pulled on my ponytail in frustration. "Why would you show up in Townsville after 11 years?" It didn't make sense. Why would they return? I know they were stupid, but I didn't think they were this stupid. They have enough common sense don't they? _Well, we can only hope they do. _Boomer didn't respond and I rolled my eyes. "That's what I thought. Stay away from me." And with that I ducked into the art room. School had just become even more unbearable.


	3. Absent

**Alright here's the third chapter, this ones slightly longer because I added to seperate scenes into this piece. Thanks for reading :)**

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><p>I stared absentmindedly at my lunch tray as I walked blindly through the cafeteria the next day. This day wasn't going any better then the previous one. Boomer had kept his distance today, but I could tell he wanted to talk to me. I didn't know how to react to it all. Everything was happening so quickly. After all, it was literally yesterday that I could be the girl who couldn't get out of her head, but now, even my sisters were including me in on plans.<p>

"Brooke!" Bridget exclaimed urgently. I glanced up quickly, only soon enough to see Boomer with his nose stuck in a book before we both collided. I landed roughly. The only sound that was ringing in my ears was the crack of my head against the linoleum flooring. A low groan escaped me as I shifted into a sitting position. It was times like these I was glad for Chemical X.

"Brooke, you okay? Are you hurt?" Boomer asked as he offered his hand to me. It was all I could not to laugh. He should know better than anyone a little fall wouldn't hurt me. "I guess we should both get our heads out of the clouds." He added after a moment, again shoving his hand towards me. "Let me help you up." I blew my bangs out of my face and took his hand, allowing him to effortlessly pull me up. "Why don't I get you another lunch? Yours is kind of history."

I glanced down at the spattered meatloaf that covered my shoes and sighed. I probably wouldn't have eaten it anyway. Amongst the gravy and mess I noted one of the books Boomer was carrying. It lay open, splattered with some of the dressing from my salad. Hesitantly, I knelt down and daintily picked it up, sure to avoid smearing the pages. "Sorry about you're...book," I muttered as I wiped a bit of the dressing from the page carefully. The words caught my eyes and my breath hitched. "This is _Hamlet_."

Boomer's worried expression dropped, and instead an uneasy smile replaced it. "Oh—um yeah it's my favorite Shakespeare play, after _Taming of the Shrew _of course." He replied with a nonchalant shrug. "You noticed, that's surprising, I'm sometimes surprised my brothers can read."

"What's so surprising about me guessing that this was Shakespeare?" I asked sharply. Boomer raised his hands and winked.

"You and I both know we aren't the smartest of our siblings. We can sometimes be a little absent." He replied defensively. I don't know why, but a sharp pain cut through me. Why did that statement hurt, especially coming from Boomer? _Stop taking everything he says to heart Brooke. He's playing with you._ I scolded myself mentally and turned away from him. "Don't you want lunch?"

"I lost my appetite." I replied shortly. "Thanks anyway."

I took my respective seat to Bridget's right. Both my sisters were staring, which was relieving any of the tension that I was already feeling. Biting the lip gloss of my lip I stared at my hands silently. It was Blaire who broke the silence. Figures.

"I thought we weren't supposed to be interacting with the Rowdy's?" She whined bitterly. "We can't trust them, especially Butch. I mean you should have seen that perverted asshole, the way he looks at the girls as they walk by. It's completely—"

"Blaire, this isn't about Butch's habitual flirting. I mean, Brooke couldn't really avoid this confrontation—completely." Bridget turned to look at me gravely. "You need to get your head out of the clouds; we need your complete concentration at a time like this. I've talked with the Principal and she said she wants us to be aware of their actions at all times. We can't afford any violence." I nodded sadly. I knew it was coming. They thought I was ditzy, like Boomer. _No, no, don't let that—that boy band wannabe get to your head. He's just going to distract you. _"Brooke, are you even listening? This is what I'm talking about."

"Sorry," I mumbled as I drew circles in the tabletop with my fingers. I could feel Bridget's expression softening as she placed a hand on my shoulder gently.

"We just don't want you to get hurt." She stated. I mentally kicked myself. Of course they doubted me; they thought I couldn't handle myself. It almost hurt as much as Boomer's comment. _We can sometimes be a little absent..._ My jaw visibly tightened. I wasn't going to be compared to him, he wasn't like me. The Rowdys were nothing like my sisters and I.

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><p>My gaze flicked between my half finished sketch and the clock a week later. I was almost home free, almost free of Boomer's gaze which had remained locked on me the entire class period. I shuddered when my eyes briefly met his. I had to work tonight, some refuge from my thoughts, well almost. I was a waitress at Sparky's Diner on Main Street, it was a pretty popular place. It was also one of the only places I didn't have to worry about bumping into my sisters. As popular as the diner was, they hated the atmosphere and wouldn't step in it. It was too loud for Bridget and too mainstream for Blaire. That made it a prime place for me to be myself.<p>

The bell blared through the intercom and I was up and running before any of the other students had time to gather their bags. _Thank you Chemical X_. I silently praised the lab accident that had brought about my super powers. Speed was a good thing, especially when you were avoiding someone. I flitted down the stairs of the main entrance and into the brisk autumn air.

I glanced around me; the school ground was relatively empty. They were probably just emptying into the halls now. I silently thanked the accident again and shot into the sky. Normally I wouldn't opt for flying. It was colder at the higher altitude and the wind always messed up my hair. Looking cute was still pretty important to me, but today I just wanted to get to work as quickly as possible.

_You need to stop worrying so much Brooke. Look at Bridget and Blaire; they don't even bat an eyelash when they're around the Rowdys. Why can't you act more like them? _I thought bitterly as I glided through the sky. Then again it wasn't even like Brick or Butch had bothered me at all. They were pretty much recluses. Brick had spent most of his classes buried in his notes and books, much like Bridget. And when he wasn't buried in his books—well that glare of his could curdle milk. It didn't surprise me that no one really approached him. He wasn't really the approachable type. As for Butch, well, he certainly had gotten the girls' attention at school. Even I heard the gossip about how many girls wanted a piece of him. I made a note never to mention it in front of Blaire. She'd be sure to burn my favorite blouse for that piece of information.

It really surprised me how the students completely forgot how much of a threat these boys were; well I'm sure they didn't forget. They just didn't care. The girls wanted their hands on Butch, and Brick, well most people avoided him. I didn't hear much about Boomer, maybe because he was always gluing himself to me. Why was he always doing that?

I landed at the back entrance of Sparky's and ran a hand through my windswept hair. I hurried through the door and into the back kitchen, making sure to give a friendly wave to the cooks. My apron hung on a small hook at the front of the kitchen, near the doorway into the restaurant. I quickly tied it around my waist and sifted through the pockets for my pen and paper pad.

"You're here early." Nate, another one of the waiters at Sparky's and a relatively good friend of mine, noted. He smiled at me and ran a hand through his wavy chestnut hair. "But you're just in time. A group of boys came in and they requested you."

"What are you talking about?" I asked breathlessly as I twisted my hair in its usual side ponytail. "No one ever requests me for service." Nate shrugged and threw his head back at the door.

"They were pretty insistent that they had you." He replied with a shrug. I glanced through the small window on the door and my blood ran cold. Seated at a small booth, the Rowdy's were looking at menus. They seemed completely at ease. Damn, they probably followed me here.

I turned back to Nate and my gaze severe. "You have to take them Nate." I just about pleaded. I glanced back at the window and saw that they were now staring at me. They probably could hear me. I forgot about their super hearing. Nate shook his head and pocketed his pad of paper.

"I don't think they'll take too kindly to that," he trailed with a roll of his eyes. "Just take care of them. It's your job after all." Was his added reply, a small laugh escaping him as he turned to retrieve a tray of food.

"Some lifesaver you are," I called after his retreating figure, but he was already too far away. I inhaled sharply and smoothed the creases in my blue blouse. _No point in moping, you'll have to deal with them either way. _I pushed the door and entered the noisy atmosphere of the diner. A false smile twisted my lips as I approached the table, pen poised above the paper. "Welcome to Sparky's boys, may I take a drink order to begin with?"

"Actually, I was wondering if I could have a taste of you, Bubbles" Butch jeered with a quick wink. He twitched faltering his sexy smile.

"Unfortunately, we find water and soap mixed together to be a bit of a health concern here at Sparky's. Besides bubbles don't taste that good." I replied after a beat. The smile faltered on the green Rowdy's face. I smiled sweetly and flicked my bangs out of my eyes. "Is there anything else you'd want?"

"Just get him a god damn coke," Brick stated huskily. "Same for me." He added shortly as he pulled out a Calculus textbook and opened it. Boomer smiled toothily at me and cradled his cheek in the palm of his hand.

"I'll just take water." He slurred. "Thanks." I returned the smile falsely and turned back to reenter the kitchen. _Alright, that wasn't that hard. Maybe I'll be able to do this._

I ran back to the soda machines where Nate was filling up some cups. "So I see you didn't die." He observed with an obvious smirk. "Congrats." I rolled my eyes and swatted him away. "Real mature Brooke." Nate took on a glassy look, a goofy smile stretching across his face.

"Get that stupid look off your face and get working." I laughed and bumped hips with him. "And you call me a lazy worker." I grabbed the soda glasses and carried them to the door, leaving Nate alone. The boys hadn't really done much since I left, they didn't even really talk to each other. Brick stared ahead, completely ignoring the noise and bustle of other people. Butch was turned around completely in his seat, hitting up the cheer members in the booth next to them. Man, he moved fast. And then there was Boomer—I stopped myself—_stop it you have a job to do. _

"And here are your beverages," I stated briskly as I set the glasses down in front of the boys. "Now—" I continued as I dug through my pocket for the pad of paper. "What can I get for you boys?"

Butch put on his best smolder and leaned forward. A part of me really wanted to see how he was going to turn ordering a hamburger into a pick up line, but before he had the chance, Brick cut in. "Just bring me something with meat, rare." He stated simply. "And bring the horny bastard a hamburger." Butch gave his brother a dirty look, but it didn't faze Brick. The other part of me was relieved she didn't have to endure another pick up line and breathed a sigh of reprieve. _I kind of liked the other two better when they didn't acknowledge my existence. _I noted as I turned to look at Boomer hesitantly.

"I'll have the bacon burger, no ranch; I got enough of that still in my _Hamlet _book." He stated with a shrug. I bit back a sharp retort. What was with the snide comment?

"Sure, I'll put that in now." I responded tightly, holding back the urge to send a bolt of power right through Boomer's skull. It wouldn't hurt him...no matter how much I wanted it to. _You're starting to sound like Blaire, you need to leave. _I hurried back into the kitchen, making certain no one was around before I collapsed on a box of hamburger buns. I couldn't figure it out. Boomer would be flirty one moment, sarcastically witty the next, and then he'd go back to being the idiot he was. What was his motive? _Brooke—you're over analyzing again. Stop doing that. No motive—just an idiot. _

"Brooke, are you going to go out and look at your other sections?" Nate asked curiously as he poked his head around the corner. He rubbed his hands on the green fabric of his apron nervously and glanced around. "You don't want the manager finding you like this." He continued urgently. I stood up and smoothed my apron defiantly. When I went to pass him, Nate grabbed me softly by the arm. "Brooke about the—"

"Nathan, Brooke, get back to work, I'm not paying you to have conversation." The manager sneered from the kitchen. I cast Nate an apologetic glance and hurried back to the front of the restaurant. I completely bypassed the boys and went to check on a group of jocks from the basketball team. I recognized one of them as Mike Stevens, a boy who had created an imaginary friend that wasn't so imaginary back in Kindergarten. We had been close back then. What happened to 'back then'?

"Hello boys, welcome to Sparky's, Can I get a drink—"

"Yo hot stuff, where's our order?" I shuddered in response to Butch's voice. Yeah, I definitely wished they were still ignoring me. Quickly shirking my disorientation, I turned back to the group of boys, but not without shooting a quick beam to the Rowdy's table. There was a groan and a low chorus of snickering, followed by a moodily mumbled "Bitch" on Butch's part. This was going to be a long night.

"Brooke, you're shift is almost done with. Haven't those guys left yet?" My manager asked moodily from the back of the kitchen as I shuffled through some of my tips. It had been four hours since I started my shift. Nate had long since left, and I was the only server out there and there was only one table occupied. It had been occupied since I got there. I sighed and blew a strand of my silvery blonde hair out of my eyes.

"Not yet." I muttered, a little defeated. My manager, a stout balding middle-aged man rolled his eyes.

"Well once they leave you're free to go. I hope they leave soon, they're louder than the football jocks." He mumbled to himself as he made his way to yell at some of the cooks. I saluted mockingly and pressed through the doorway back to the front of the restaurant. I had just spun around when I froze. The lack of Rowdy at my booth was mind numbing. Hadn't they just been there a second ago? I approached the table hesitantly. I wasn't sure what I was expecting, bombs, booby traps, the overpowering smell of Axe? But it was none of those things. Instead placed neatly on top of the bill was the money for the meal and relatively generous tip.

Appalled, I picked up the money and shuffled through it. Was that a twenty? "Holy shit," I muttered, completely dropping my anticipation. Were they serious? Twenty bucks for a tip? This was the Rowdys? With a shake of my head I scolded myself. _They're bad Brooke, so they gave you money, they probably pitied me. Or this is fake, or stolen. Forget and get home._

I quickly pocketed the money and cleared the table. I wanted to get home before the booby traps or mustard gas kicked in.


	4. Special

**Wow, been awhile since I've uploaded this story hasn't it. I feel really bad, I have a majority of the story rewritten, it's just it's missing certain scenes and it's a little out of order, so I need to rework transitions to get the story uploaded in order. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this new chapter, it's a little longer. Review :) **

* * *

><p>"Professor, aren't you in the least bit worried that the Rowdyruff Boys are back?" Bridget reasoned as she paced around the kitchen. Being our early riser, Bridget was already dressed in her usual, dowdy clothing, while both Blaire and I still wore our pajamas. I glanced at the frying pan distractedly as I flipped the eggs, most of my attention straying between my thoughts or the conversation at hand. It had been about two weeks since the Rowdy's had arrived, and they hadn't calmed down yet.<p>

"Of course I am Bridget, but if the Principal did say she wanted you to keep an eye on them. So they are making sure nothing goes wrong." The Professor replied slowly from behind his newspaper. I could tell from his tone of voice that he was just saying this to make her feel better. And apparently Bridget could tell too.

"You're not taking this seriously. We could be putting the High School students at a major risk here. Did you ever think of that?" She chided. I rolled my eyes and turned back to the eggs. What else could we do? They technically had a right to attend our school, no matter how small that right was, they went through the necessary steps to attain it. Bridget checked. More than once. We couldn't kick them out if they weren't doing anything wrong. "Girls give me some back up here." Bridget pleaded.

"No matter how much I hate to admit it, she has a point Professor. The boys were no good 10 years ago, they probably won't be much better now," Blaire stated from her seat at the table.

I frowned to myself as I flipped the eggs again. People don't change, do they? Someone doesn't just turn good over night, but it had been 10 years? Maybe there was a little hope? What're you talking about Brooke; you can't make someone good just by hoping. That's hopeless.

"Girls, I know you all are pretty worked up about this, but I think you need to understand that you have a tendency to over—"

"We are not overreacting, I mean think about it Professor? The boys have attacked our town more than once and have proven to be lethal at the age of 5. Now they're 17 and you expect us to just go on like they couldn't be capable of so much more?" Bridget cut in evenly as she finally slid into a seat at the kitchen table. An uneasy silence settled in the room and I sighed, pressing a smile across my face.

"Who wants eggs?" I asked in a blissfully cheery voice. I felt guilty feigning ignorance, as usual, but it's not like my sisters would appreciate with my siding with the Professor once again.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe the Professor doesn't see how dangerous all of this is." Bridget mumbled as we walked down the hallway together toward our lockers. "Doesn't he know the Rowdyruff boys?"<p>

"Yes, he does know the Rowdyruff boys, but so does the rest of the town. And from the looks of it that doesn't stop the female population from flirting with Butch." I noted as I pointed toward the end of the hallway. Butch balanced his weight against a set of lockers as he chatted with Princess Morebucks. From the corner of my eye, I saw Blaire's cheeks flair red, but I ignored it.

"Just because the rest of the town is ignorant doesn't mean we are," Blaire growled as we stopped in front of our lockers. She smacked hers, placing yet another noticeable dent in metallic surface. Bridget pursed her lips as she smoothed the creases in her pleated skirt.

"We'll just follow our instructions, keep an eye on them. As much as I hate to admit it, you have a point Brooke." I clenched my jaw, but let her continue. "They haven't done anything yet. So we'll just wait." I nodded as I turned to my locker hurriedly, I was really getting sick of the Rowdyruffs being the only topic of conversation with them. I almost preferred that they ignored me. It seemed less insulting than when they didn't address me.

"I have to get to class girls, I'll see you in Algebra," I muttered as I quickly pulled my things out of my locker and slid them into my bag. I gave them a small wave, my charming smile glossed over the obvious irritation. Bridgit and Blaire didn't really respond, they had already moved onto another topic of discussion. Not that I minded.

I made my way down the hallway and toward my first class, French. I didn't want to mention to my sisters that in the two weeks the Rowdy's had been back they had been at the diner every time I was working. It was almost as if they knew my schedule. Everytime they were there, they requested me. By requesting me, I was forced to interact with them. Not that it really mattered, they didn't do anything besides annoy the hell out of me, they always paid for their trouble in a hefty tip.

"Hey Bub-I mean Brooke." I grimaced and grasped the arm loop of my backpack a little tighter. With a glance over my shoulder, I met Boomer's pale blue eyes warily. "You work again tonight, right?"

"Shouldn't you know? You've practically got my schedule memorized by this point," I stated passively as I tried to duck into my classroom. Before I could, Boomer blocked my way with his arm. He stared down at me, his eyes softening ever so slightly as they held my gaze. "What do you want?"

"I was wondering if you would mind if it was only me who came to the diner tonight?" I gave him a bewildered look, but quickly covered it with a scowl.

"Do whatever you want? I can't control who comes into the diner." I pushed his arm aside and made my way into my class. What kind of game was he playing?

* * *

><p>"There's only one of them this time," Nate stated coolly as he pressed past me to grab some plates off of the table I was clearing. I glanced over my shoulder, and there was Boomer, in his usual spot reading. I glanced at the clock. I only had 15 minutes left in my shift. The Rowdy's never came this late. "Maybe they're finally getting bored with harassing you."<p>

"I don't think so." I swiped the plates from Nate's hands and gave him a playful grin. "They love seeing me suffer, it's something they'd never get bored with." Nate stopped cold, a small smile crossing his face as he met my eyes. I rolled my eyes, and everyone thought I always had my head stuck in the clouds.

I dropped off the plates into the washroom and returned the front. I glanced at Boomer. He hadn't looked up from his book. There were so many questions I wanted to ask. I needed answers. Boomer was going to give them to me, whether he wanted to or not. I made my way to a dirty booth beside Boomer and leaned over the cushioned chairs to peer over his shoulder.

"Why did you come back to Townsville?" I asked curiously as I stacked the plates in my arms. Boomer didn't respond at first, he just flipped through the pages of Othello. I wrinkled my nose impatiently, but he didn't seem to notice. "You had to have come back for a reason. Why did you?" Boomer's gaze shifted and met with mine.

"It's difficult to explain." He replied softly. "But you do have a right to know Brooke. I guess I owe you that much. It's just a little risky to tell you everything." He rubbed the back of his neck and glanced around the diner. No one really paid us any mind, but I knew what he meant.

"Well, it's not really safe for us to be talking here in the hottest student attraction in Townsville." I stated knowingly as I stuffed my pad of paper into the front of my apron. "But, I will be off of work in about ten minutes if—"

"Let's get out of here."

"What?" I asked abruptly. Boomer smiled and closed his book with a soft thud, his sandy blonde hair falling once more in front of his sky blue eyes. I bit my lip nervously as he leaned in closer.

"Let's go somewhere to talk." He stated with a charming smile.

"So, are you going to answer my question or not?" We sat in the middle of the Townsville Park, which was thankfully empty. I didn't want to think what would happen if the girls caught word that I was 'interacting' with the enemy. Boomer fiddled with the frayed sleeve of his sweatshirt mindlessly. "I didn't come here to watch you play with you clothing."

"A part of me was missing." Boomer mumbled, his gaze still intently locked with the threads of his sweatshirt.

"Come again?" I asked quizzically.

"My brothers and I, we were rewired; I guess that's the word, by the government about seven years ago. We were reprogrammed to be good, if working for the government is good, I guess. They want secrets and information, what better way than to reprogram three superhuman teenage boys and send them into the world as their slaves, I suppose." He continued nonchalantly. My eyes widened. The government is using the Rowdyruff Boys? "My brothers, despite the reprogramming, weren't really all that keen on working for the government, well at least Butch wasn't, Brick was happy as long as he believed he was leader."

"But that doesn't—"

"I'm getting to that part." Boomer cut in. "I was different, big surprise. We should both know by now we're different from our siblings." He smiled bitterly and continued. "I felt like I was missing a huge chunk of me. There was emptiness inside me. It was something even our programmers could take note of. They couldn't understand why I was so unhappy." He shuffled his blue converse through the dying grass, the smile fading. "I realized that I needed and wanted to come back to Townsville. I felt like I belonged here." He finally met my eyes and smiled. "I knew what was missing, I could find here."

My cheeks burned when the realization hit me. How could I not have guessed that much already? "And what exactly is that?" I asked lamely, ignoring the rising heat in my face.

"Are you really going to make me say it?" An uncomfortable silence fell between us. My thoughts were running wild. Why was this happening to me? Why did it have to be Boomer—of all people? "Why did you decide to trust me, Brooke? We are supposed to be your enemies after all?" Boomer asked curiously as he pulled his knees to his chest. The sun had just disappeared behind the trees. I squinted to get a better look at him. He looked at me with such innocence, it was a little unnerving. "What made you change your mind?" I sighed. Maybe I shouldn't mention that he wouldn't leave me alone until I did. "You trusted me before I tried to convince you, I know you spoke in our favor when you discussed it. You're not the only one with super human hearing, Brooke." Damn, why didn't I think of that?

He smirked as I pressed my chin on top of my knees and huffed. "I believe in giving others a second chance." I replied slowly. "Granted, this is your seventh or eighth chance, but there was something about you guys that was different." I added after a second thought. Boomer played with a strand of his hair absentmindedly as he watched me carefully with his pale eyes. After a several moments of silence, I decided to continue. "My sisters say that I trust too easily. I guess you can say I'm the weakest link out of the three of us." I outstretched my hand and let a soft blue glow engulf my hand. Both of our faces lit up, no longer blurred by the darkness. In light, I could see the sad smile on Boomer's face.

"Why would I say that you're weak? Personally, I think that you're the strongest link." He replied with a nonchalant shrug. My hand tensed the glow immediately disappearing, basking us in darkness once more.

"Then you must have gotten the self esteem from my DNA because I have never, nor will I ever be extraordinary." I stated with a bitter laugh.

"That's not true. I think your mind is pretty extraordinary, your ability to forgive and trust, that's pretty extraordinary. You really must not notice the way other people look at you. A lot of people admire you. I know I admire you." Boomer admitted hesitantly as he shifted his weight and leaned a little closer. "A lot of guys look at you. Girls are always talking about how much they envy you. You're like an Untouchable in the school, Butch told me."

Was he being serious? My mind was shit, no one noticed me. He was just mocking me, he had to be. Boomer must have known what I was thinking because he reached down and plucked a small blue flower from a patch of weeds at the base of the bench.

"Here." He stated as he offered me the flower. "It's a simple flower that holds a deeper inner beauty." He pressed the flower between my fingers, his own lingering a moment or two before he pulled back, a smile on his face. "You aren't weak Brooke." I smiled halfheartedly and twirled the flower with my fingers.

"That's a pretty euphonic analogy Boomer, but I'm not a flower, I don't have symbolism or an 'inner beauty' or anything like that. I'm just me." I replied with a sigh. "But thanks anyway."

Boomer shrugged and gave me one of his infamous crooked smiles. "It's what I do." I glanced up and noticed several people enter the park, my skin itched as I pulled my legs away from my arms. Boomer glanced at the people entering and frowned before standing up and stretching his arms high above his head. "I say we call it a night. Don't want your sisters finding out about us do we?"

"No, I suppose not," I began slowly as I, too, stood up. "Not that there is an 'us' isn't that right Boomer," I quickly added as I shoved him playfully. Boomer smirked in response and tugged at my ponytail.

"Whatever you say blondie."


	5. Fair

"You know Nate likes you right?" Boomer asked curiously as we walked toward our usual spot in the Park. A couple people stopped to give us questioning glances, but he ignored them, I on the other hand couldn't. Recently, I had been noticing the looks a lot of people gave me. Normally, I could tune it out. Boomer made me notice them now. Boomer angled his face toward me, a small impish grin on his face.

"What?" I asked distantly, as I tried to hide my face from the questioning gazes.

"Nate likes you, and I think that Mike kid on the Basketball team does too." Boomer explained with a shrug. "They are always looking at you at school, you know. I've heard them talk about you. Makes me kind of jealous." I scoffed; I was never going to understand Boomer.

"And why would that make you jealous?" I asked as I shouldered my messenger bag and sifted through it for my sketchbook. "I think you're bluffing anyway."

"No, really. They are always talking about how they wished they had the guts to ask you out. Nate especially." Boomer stated defensively. "You don't realize how popular you are amongst the male population do you? They all notice you."

"Are we on this topic again? No one notices me Boomer. You've only been here, what, two months, and you already think you know how High School works?" I spat bitterly. I yanked at my sketchbook and cradled it to my chest.

"Well for someone who thinks she knows how High School works, she obviously has no idea how the food chain works. Like—I don't know the fact that you and your sisters are at the top of it," Boomer replied as he took a seat on the bench. The same bench we had been coming to for the last month and a half. "Or the fact that when guys come up to talk to you, being the naïve little bubble—yes pun intended—that you are, can't even pick up the fact that they are flirting with you." I blushed, hard, at his comment. What is he talking about?

"I—I have no idea what you're talking about," I muttered as I crumpled beside him in complete embarrassment. "Nate is just a friend, we work together—he'd never—would he?" I continued mostly to myself. "But I'm not extremely—or anything like that..." Boomer rolled his eyes and combed his fingers through his hair.

"Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind and therefore—"

"Winged cupid is painted blind—I know A Midsummer Night's Dream but that has nothing to do with me." I reply bitterly. "Why are you so dead set on pointing out that I'm supposedly popular?"

"Because you might actually believe me when I say that you have a lot to offer. You have so many guys tailing you; it's almost kind of pathetic. Though, I'd probably choose Nate. He seems—nice enough." He replied shortly as he pulled my sketchbook out of my hands. I glared at him halfheartedly.

"What does 'nice enough' mean exactly?" I asked coolly. Boomer shrugged and traced one of my figures with his finger.

"Exactly what I say, he's nice, too nice, but nice, and I guess he's alright looking, in that pretty boy kind of way—you should draw more of what you know." He pointed to the young woman I had sketched out for one of my free sketches and grimaced. "Your drawings are amazing, but they lack a sort of character to them. Try drawing people you know."

"Is that a hint?" I asked with a laugh. Boomer waggled his eyebrows at me, an easy crooked smile taking his face.

"Well, I know I'm drop dead gorgeous, and I am so inspiring, but that actually wasn't what I was getting at." He replied dramatically as he struck a ridiculous pose. I couldn't help but smile, no matter how hard I bit it back. He was a joke, and yet he didn't care. Boomer definitely got my self esteem, which I hardly find fair. "You don't mind spending time with me do you?"

"Well I don't mind...completely."

"Your sisters?"

"Yeah, I just don't want them to find out. They already think I'm a screw up, if they found out I was 'fraternizing with the enemy' they would never understand." I set my sketchbook at my side and sighed. "Why won't they listen to me."

"Maybe if you tried to talk to them. Be forward, don't give them the chance to find out. Just tell them," Boomer offered with a small smile. "That might work out better than just hiding your life from you sisters."

"Do your brothers know?"

"Hell no," Boomer almost laughed. "But that's more because they wouldn't give two shits about where I go and who I'm with." There's a difference between our families Brooke. He gave me a dreamy smile. "I feel like your family actually cares about you."

"You're ridiculous-"

"And that's why I feel like you should come clean to your sisters. It's fair." I scowled, since when did Boomer know what was fair and what wasn't. "I know you probably don't agree with me. I don't blame you. But I know deep down you're kind and sweet and-"

"Everything nice?" I asked, a little amused. Boomer smiled too. We held each others gaze for a moment before he turned his gaze to the sky.

"Yeah everything nice."

* * *

><p>Later that night I sat in my shared bedroom with Bridget and Blaire. I had Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew out and settled in my lap. It had been awhile since I read it; I had forgotten how good it was. "Brooke, are you sure you're not overworking yourself at the diner?" Bridget asked abruptly as she glanced up from her laptop. I met her gaze, a little confused. "You have been taking every after school shift for the last month. I just wanted to make sure you weren't wearing yourself out."<p>

Recognition lit up my face. I had forgotten that I was 'working' all the times I had been sneaking out with Boomer. Or at least, that's what I had been telling the girls I was doing. "Oh no, I like working. It's good pay anyway." I lied with a small hesitant smile. My gaze shifted to my silvery comforter, it suddenly was becoming a lot more interesting as Bridget's eyes became more severe.

"Alright." She said slowly as she flicked her attention back to the laptop. "I just don't want you stressing yourself out. You need some energy for finals coming up." I groaned softly. I had completely forgotten about those. My cell phone buzzed softly in my back pocket and I froze. No one ever texted me really. They knew I'd very rarely respond unless I wasn't with my sisters. I pulled out the phone and flipped it open. My heart stopped mid beat.

_Sent from 645-7432 at 10:23 PM_

_Hey, I got this number from that Robin girl in our Art Class. This is Brooke, right? It's Boomer._

What the hell was he thinking? He can't text me. What if my sisters read the text over my shoulder? "Geeze blondie, you look like someone just kicked a puppy." Blaire noted as she caught her soccer ball swiftly midair. I swallowed air and forced a smile on my face.

"Oh it's nothing just remembered I had some homework I needed to finish before tomorrow," I started shakily. "It's nothing major, a friend just reminded me that's all." Another lie. What was wrong with me?

"It's probably in Algebra. You never pay attention; always too busy fraternizing with the enemy!" Blaire exclaimed as she shot me an accusing glare. Her green eyes flickered dangerously and I winced. "Are you really dumb enough to fall for the act?" I tried to look innocent, normally I was good at that, but now I could feel the guilt playing plainly on my face.

It was true. I sometimes forgot and found myself asking Boomer questions about the homework. Or I was asking him about the new Shakespeare play he was reading, King Lyre. He was always friendly and replied. We just got lost in conversation.

"Oh come off it Blaire. Brooke has always been friendly with others. It's in her nature. Besides, she normally just asks harmless questions." Bridget cut in, her gaze shifting back to the pair of us. "It's not like she's actually hanging out with him and spending free time with him. She knows better." She added after a second. I winced, my eyes quickly returning to the book in my lap. It was meant to be a joke, I tried to remind myself of this, Bridget didn't know.

I snuck a glance over at my red haired sister. Her gaze didn't falter and it didn't stop watching me. They watched me intensely with some sort of...disappointment was it? It didn't surprise me. I shouldn't be trying to convince myself that she doesn't know. She knows. How? I haven't the slightest, but she does. But Bridget knows better than to call me out on it in front of Blaire. After another moment, Bridget lowered her gaze back to the laptop. The window to confess had just closed. And I knew it.


	6. Bad

_The park is quiet, serene as it normally is at the late hours of the night. Even before Boomer, I would come here to just think or sketch, but now there is Boomer. He sits on the bench, watching me sketch, his breath tickling the nape of my neck. He is extremely close, so much closer than I should let him. But a part of me doesn't really want him to move away. His lips move to say something, but I can't hear him. They move again, still relieving no sound. I blink in response and his eyes narrow._

_What's the matter? I go to question, but soon find that I can't speak either. I desperately try to produce words, voice my thoughts. Like he said, my thoughts are so important. He likes my thoughts. He told me he did... Boomer becomes more agitated as we sit in silence, the attempts to speak quickly diminishing to futility. I want to speak. For once I really do._

_My gaze turns to the sketchbook in my lap and I perk up drastically. I can write. Quickly, I scrawl out a haphazard message in my curly font and angle it toward him. But he's no longer there. I glance around baffled. He had been there a moment ago..._

_The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end when I sense someone behind me. Slowly I make a move to turn, but stop short. An odd sensation washes over me. Have I been struck? It doesn't hurt, but black dots dot my vision. I've gone completely numb. Panicked, I move myself to face where I felt the blow. When my vision clears, I see Boomer, hovering just above the ground. His hand glows an intense indigo, far contrast from my soft powder blue glow. I reach behind my head and pull my hand away, willing myself to remain calm, but when I see my blood stained fingers I can't help but choke on threatening tears._

_A smile twists Boomer's face, warping his features into anything but the new Boomer. Now all I see is the old Boomer, cocky, a little stupid, but still completely lethal. He lunges toward me, far faster than I can react. His hands lock themselves around my throat and tighten. I attempt to pull away, but his grip is too strong, overpowering. Even with my human strength. I try to squeak out Boomer's name, but then I remember no voice._

_He glares up at me now, his once pale blue eyes, now completely icy and cold. This isn't the Boomer I know. I gasp for breath, desperately pulling at his rock hard fingers. But nothing. His grip is getting tighter._

I threw myself out of bed, urgently pulling at the sheets that had tangled themselves around my neck. I gasped shakily and glanced around my room. Bridget and Blaire slept soundly in their beds next to me, completely oblivious to my distress. As I raked my fingers through my damp hair, I tried to calm my racing heart. Why was I dreaming about that? Boomer couldn't turn on me, could he?

I sidled back under my comforter and shivered. Is that how it would end up if I trusted Boomer? Should I have ever trusted Boomer? I tightened the blanket around my trembling shoulders and sighed. My sisters were probably right. I shouldn't be messing around with Boomer. There are enemies in this world. And he was one of them. He was a bad person.


	7. Missing You

"Brooke, you haven't been coming to the park for the past few days. What's up? You look like you haven't slept in weeks?" Boomer hissed as I made my way towards my French class. It had been three weeks since my dream. I tried to ignore him. I really did try. I went home with mys sisters right away after classes to avoid Boomer's temptations. I traded seats with Mitch in algebra so I didn't have to sit near him. I knew if I was near him, I wouldn't be able to resist talking to him. Because he was too nice to be bad. But he was bad. It was only a matter of time before Boomer caught on. He was smarter than he looked.

"I just don't think we should be seeing each other anymore. It's just I-"

"You don't trust me." I stopped mid stride and chanced a look at Boomer. Hurt was evident on his face, but I tried to ignore the gnawing guilt in the pit of my stomach. "Why?" I shook my head. I don't know why I had expected Boomer to be okay with my sudden disappearance. It wasn't like me. "Did you tell your sisters?" Despite the tears blurring my vision, a bitter laugh escaped me.

"Like I would ever tell them about us. There is no us anymore." It was harsh and I knew that all too well, but I needed to force him away somehow. That way I wouldn't be blamed if all this time I had been wrong. Wrong about Boomer. Wrong about myself. I quickened my pace and left a stunned Boomer in my wake. This was how it had to be. I needed to keep my sisters safe. But more importantly, I couldn't keep hiding this anymore. If it stopped, I could act like it never happened.

* * *

><p>"Brooke, you look exhausted. I think you should stay home today," Bridget stated softly as I made my way into the kitchen the next morning. It had been another sleepless nice of gnawing agony and guilt. I had thought ignoring Boomer would make things better, but I only felt worse. Whenever I saw Boomer, he always looked like a kicked puppy. "Have you been sleeping?"<p>

"I'm fine Bridget, just leave me alone," I mumbled as I bent down to grab the frying pans from the cupboards. A thin hand slapped me away from the handle and I met Bridget's gaze moodily. Her pink eyes were harsh, but they quickly softened and she placed a hand on my shoulder.

"You should stay home today. I'll grab any homework from our teachers, you can catch up on some sleep." She turned away without another word and I frowned. There was no arguing with Bridget, not that I was complaining about taking a sick day. Without another thought, I turned away and made my way back up to our room. Maybe I needed a break more than I realized.

* * *

><p>I had spent most of the morning in bed. I couldn't sleep, there was no use really trying, not with my mind as jumbled as it was. The house was unnaturally quiet, with both my sisters at school and the Professor away on a business trip, it was nice to have silence for once. I settled back under my covers and glanced up at the ceiling. There was nothing particularly interesting to look at, so I let my mind wander.<p>

Before I could get too deep into my thoughts, a tap on the window brought me back. Startled, I glanced over at one of the circular windows across the room and my heart immediately sank. I jumped out of bed and hurdled across the room to where Boomer was hovering just outside. "What the _hell _are you doing here?" I hissed as I pried the window open. I knew he could hear me. Boomer blushed and rubbed the back of his neck as he drifted closer to the window.

"I wanted to talk about, you know-"

"No-No I don't know." I crossed my arms over my chest and gave Boomer an unamused glare.

"About us, and why you've decided to just blow me off like your sisters are blowing off my brothers. Something happened that you aren't telling me. I want to know because-" Boomer stopped mid sentence, a troubling look glossing over his face. It almost looked like he was in a mental battle with himself, as if he wasn't sure if he should continue. "-because I miss you."

"What?"

"Don't make me repeat it Brooke. Ever since you've stopped talking to me I can't help but think it was my fault. What did I do?" I frowned and looked away from him. I was completely torn. My head was telling me this was a trick, it echoed with Bridget and Blaire's voice. But my heart told me something different. It told me to trust my instinct, to let Boomer in. Because Boomer was the only person who understood. I sat on the windowsill, battling with my two halves. My sisters or my instinct. I didn't want my life to be run by my sisters, but could I really trust Boomer.

"You didn't do anything," I replied softly. Boomer looked up, surprised. "I was just doubting my choices. I was letting my sisters get to me. I shouldn't let them do that." Boomer smiled softly.

"No you shouldn't, because you can make the right choices on your own." He drifted away from the window. "If you've made your own choice then I'll talk to you tomorrow. Rest up, you look absolutely horrible." He stuck out his tongue and with that he was gone. I went to close the window, but before I did, a small smile flitted across my face. I hope I was making the right choice. If I wasn't, then I was putting everyone in danger.


	8. Forgetting

**Still busy with school and stuff, but I have this for you guys. Sorry they aren't the longest, I'm getting to the good parts, they just need to be finished. Read and Review guys, I'm really appreciating the positive feedback. I love all of you!**

**-Gabs**

* * *

><p>I stepped into the cafeteria the next day. It was hard to believe that I was actually doing this. Was I insane? Bridget and Blaire watched stunned as I passed our usual table. I guess I was. But this was my choice; I might as well suck it up and follow through with it. The table I was looking for was one I had passed before. It was the druggie's and smoker's table, but as I took a seat next to one of the dark haired boys, he didn't seem to notice. That's probably why they chose this table.<p>

Boomer rounded the corner of the cafeteria and froze at the foot of his table, the one I was seated at. "B-Brooke, why are you...at my table?" He whispered urgently as he glanced around the cafeteria. A lot of the students were, not so secretly I might add, watching us curiously. "Shouldn't we—you know—not be hanging out in public?" He added just loud enough for me to hear. I shrugged and went to take a bite of my sandwich.

"I was thinking the same thing—and then I realized fuck it." I replied slowly. Boomer's eyebrows rose, but he let me continue. "I'm tired of keeping this a secret, I'm 16, and I can be friends with whoever I want." I added as I gestured to the seat in front of me. "Care to be a rebel with me?" The smile on Boomer's face lit up the room as he hurriedly took a seat across from me.

With the brief exhilaration that had been running through me subsiding I was now able to clearly take in the sharp glares I was receiving from a couple girls around the room. Had the Rowdy's been that popular? But what really got me squirming were the gazes I was receiving from my sisters. "You alright Brooke?" Boomer asked as he took a bite of his pizza. "Or are the consequences of your decision finally settling in?"

"Sometimes I hate the way you do that?" I noted, quickly flicking my gaze back to him. He smiled cheekily and cradled his cheek in the palm of his hand. "This is my choice though. I think it's time that I actually think for myself."

"Well, your mind is your best—" The cell phone in my back pocket began to beep loudly and I jumped. Quickly, I pulled it out and held it to me ear.

"Sorry to interrupt your little date traitor, but we've got a break in at the Jewelry Shop." Blaire growled through the other end of the phone. I winced at her acidic words and pulled away from the receiver. My gaze shifted to my sisters, but they were already rushing out of the cafeteria. I cast Boomer an apologetic glance before I too stood up and hurried outside.

The faint blur of pink and green still hung in the air when I shot in the sky, keen on catching up with the pair. They wouldn't say anything about it right now. Well, Bridget wouldn't. You could never tell what could get Blaire worked up. We were on a mission though; maybe I could be saved from the heated slander until after we were done. I noted the outline of my sisters faintly in the distance, so I sped up. It was obvious that I wasn't nearly as fast as my sisters, but I caught up to them and eased myself to Bridget's right.

"There you are." Bridget stated. "Good, Ms. Lenoir's Jewelry Department was hijacked sometime during the day. She called the Mayor near tears, and demanded we get there as soon as possible. Blaire and I are going to patrol the area; I want you to go and try to calm Ms. Lenoir down. You are the most fluent in French." Bridget ordered as she angled toward the ground. I grimaced, it's not that I minded talking to Ms. Lenoir, and dealing with the citizens, I was the friendliest of my sisters, but it's like they didn't trust me.

"Alright," I replied quietly as I followed her lead and angled toward the ground. An older woman sat scrabbling at the rubble that was once the _Magnifique Boutique. _I landed at the base of the disaster while my sisters carried on patrolling the surrounding area. "Mademoiselle Lenoir, Qu'est qui ce passé ici?" I asked curiously as I knelt beside the woman. She was well dressed with thick curled brown hair laced with silver. Despite her age, she sifted through the pieces of glass with a determined valor and youth. Her english wasn't the best, and in her state of mind, I highly doubted she'd be able to even attempt english.

"C'est ma boutique, je ne sais pas, quand je suis arrivée aujour d'hui, elle est détruit," She explained, completely grief stricken. I frowned and offered her my hand. Her eyes met mine and I winced at the tears that lined hers. Ms. Lenoir was a sweet old woman, probably one of the most liked in Townsville. I could never imagine making her feel so much grief.

"Suivis-moi, Les Filles de Powerpuff vous aideraient, mais je veut que tu ne sois pas ici. Je ne veut pas voir tu te fais mal." I stated as I helped her up. I turned to lead her towards a small restaurant at the end of the block, when I sensed a pair of eyes on me. Quickly, I turned back toward what was once the boutique and glared at the rubble, my grip tightening around Ms. Lenoir's small wrists. There was nothing from what I could see. "Un moment sil vous plait."

I let go of Ms. Lenoir and floated back to the rubble, just at the shops base and peered into the darkness. Still I saw nothing. Even after I scanned my X-ray vision I came up empty. But I had felt someone was watching me. There had to be someone. I hurried back to the frail old woman without so much as a side glance back to the Boutique. I should get her to safety first. But just as I pulled away, despite how faint it was, my hearing picked it up easily. It was just a whisper and I would have missed it if it didn't sound so eerily familiar. But what it said froze my blood.

"You're next."

"The voice sounded so familiar Bridget. I'm telling the truth. I _heard _it." I insisted as we flew home from the Boutique. Our search had proved useless. They didn't find anything and they weren't really listening to me.

"It might have been something else Brooke. You used your X ray vision and didn't find anything and both Blaire and I searched the surrounding area. There was no sign of the thief." Bridget reasoned as she landed gracefully on our front yard. "I mean think about it, a thief is just that, someone who steals, I don't think they're targeting you."

"Yeah, don't be so self centered." Blaire stated with a snicker. "Don't hog all of the Bad Guys for yourself; you already have the Rowdy's after all." I frowned at my sisters. What ever happened to us? The Powerpuff Girls. We were inseparable and we worked together and trusted each other. Had they forgotten it all? I guess that's what happens when you get older? You forget.

"Y-yeah, I guess it could have just been my imagination," I mumbled quietly to myself. "I guess."

* * *

><p>"Why are you so quiet Brooke?" Boomer asked curiously as he watched my carefully. In his hand was a charcoal pencil as he drew the arc of my chin. We sat in our usual place, the bench in the back of the park. "You look really sad, which is making my sketch really somber looking." He stuck out his tongue jokingly, but for once I didn't smile. "Seriously Brooke, what's up?"<p>

"It's nothing really. I'm just kind of disappointed that's all." I mumbled as I drew my knees under my chin. Boomer rolled his eyes and placed his sketchpad on the ground. His lines were smooth, but he was right, I looked really sad.

"What are you disappointed in? Was it something I did?" Boomer asked tenderly. I shook my head. He probably wouldn't understand. There was no point in burdening him with my thoughts anymore. _But he likes your thoughts, he said so. _"Well—whatever it is—I'm sorry." I smiled halfheartedly and looked at him. He had a charming smile across his face. "I don't like when you're sad. You're Bubbles, the cute carefree one, remember?"

"You can't be cute and carefree forever Boomer, one day reality is going to—" Boomer pecked me softly on the cheek and I froze. "What?"

"Sorry, I couldn't—I didn't mean—" Boomer began hurriedly as he pulled himself away from me. I brushed my fingers against where his lips had met, a small smile crossing my face. Boomer stood up quickly and fumbled to grab his sketchbook. "I—I should probably go. I'm sorry." He mumbled to himself. So many thoughts rushed through my head at once. Should I stop him? Should I say something? Should I kiss him? But, I didn't say anything as I watched him bolt into the sky leaving a faint trail of indigo behind him. Even if I wanted to say something, I wouldn't have been able to. My mouth was stuck in a smile. I had almost forgotten what bliss felt like. But that's what happens when you get older. You forget.


	9. Trusted

**That's all for right now folks, I need to focus on finals for the next two weeks. I might get a few more (longer) chapters up. We'll see. For those of you who have finals as well, good luck :)**

**-Gabs**

* * *

><p>"Brooke, there's another break in; we need to get there ASAP." Blaire exclaimed heatedly through my cell phone. Distractedly I shot in the sky as I pocketed my cellphone. The only other jewelry shop in town was in the uptown area, near the park, so I wasn't too far away. When I landed beside my sisters, they were already making a plan to investigate the area.<p>

"Brooke can you check inside the shop, see if you can find any clues?" Bridget offered as I made my way up to them. I nodded curtly and made my way inside the shop. Broken glass crunched under my feet as I entered the ransacked shop. The lights flickered like someone had tugged at the lighting sockets. It seemed eerily like one of those horror movies.

I sifted through some of the larger shards of glass for some kind of clues, but there wasn't much to see. Whoever had broken in was good. "Your sisters actually trusted you alone?" I straightened and charged some power in one of my hands as I glanced over my shoulder. The voice seemed familiar. Impossible. Boomer stepped out from the shadows. The contours of his face appeared sinister in the flickering lights. "You like my handy work? I guess you can say I'm one for a dramatic atmosphere." He gestured to the room, and it seemed to send a chill up my spine.

"Boomer?" I gasped, the power in my hand flickering out. A wicked smile crossed the blondes face as he offered himself to me, his arms spread out.

"The one and only doll face. You really thought I had changed, for you, of all people." He charged a power ball and shot it at me. Before I could react I was sent flying backwards into a pile of glass. I felt the shards dig deep into my forearms, but I bit back a yelp as my face darkened. "Next time, watch your back before you leave in the hands of the enemy." Boomer kicked debris out of his path as he made his way towards me. He was moving unnaturally fast.

"You tricked me you-" I snapped as I tried to sit up, but Boomer was too quick. He grabbed me harshly by the shoulders and shoved me back into the shards of glass. They dug deeper into my forearms and I begged that the pain I was feeling didn't reflect on my face.

"Ah, watch your tongue doll. You don't want to ruin that perfect act of yours." I fidgeted under his grip, he was stronger than I had thought, even for a Rowdy. "You and your sisters need to learn a lesson about meddling in the affairs of us villains." Before I could register what was happening, Boomer charged his hands with his powers. Pain cut through me like a knife, leaving me breathless when he finally released my arms. I ignored the smell of burning flesh, which I knew all too well was my own. My vision blurred and dulled around the edges, as I tried to sit up.

"I trusted you," I hissed through my teeth. Boomer smirked crookedly, his cerulean eyes had since gone dark, nearly black. He bent down so that his nose was inches from mine, the smell of blood wafted off him. I shuddered, I didn't want to know whose blood he had spilt.

"I know you did, and doesn't that just make you feel horrible. You've put a lot of people in danger, the town, your sisters, but I'd worried about yourself." Boomer knit his fingers through my hair and smashed my head into the glass. He did this several times until I finally let a scream escape me. "Not so tough now are you doll?" He delivered a swift kick to my gut and I groaned. I tried to wipe some of the blood that had begun running down the side of my face. "I wouldn't go telling anyone that it was the Rowdy's you saw here today, otherwise your sisters are next." He delivered one last kick to the side of my head, and that was the last thing I remembered before everything went black.


	10. Alliance

**Been awhile since I've updated, sorry this summer was just madness, but I'm back and this story is almost done, then I'll probably get around to making a Blaire/Butch fic :) Anyway enjoy!**

My mind was numb. Fuzzy. I could only hear the distant chatter of two people talking. Despite the numbness of my mind, my body felt heavy and buzzed with a constant pain. "Is she okay?" I began to make out words, they sounded hushed, frightened even. Who was talking?

"She'll be fine, the chemical X is working, but someone really got her good." That was definitely Bridget. What happened again? I didn't remember much, but I could feel in the pit of my stomach that it wasn't something good. I mustered up the strength to open my eyes and instantly regretted it. The light was blinding and I outwardly groaned. "She's awake!" The relief in Bridget's voice was almost unsettling. Was there doubt that I would wake up?

"Brooke, what happened? You were unconscious when we came back to the shoppe? Who attacked?" I cracked an eye open to look at Blaire. For once, the concern was evident on her face.

"Don't bombard her with questions Blaire, that was a pretty nasty head wound. I'd be surprised if she didn't have some temporary amnesia," Bridget cut in. She took a seat at the foot of my bed and it occurred to me for the first time that we were at the Utonium residence.

"Do you remember anything about the attack, anything at all?" I furrowed my brow, everything was all jumbled, I didn't really remember anything. I frowned as I shook my head, once again I was useless. I couldn't even tell them who attacked me. Bridget smiled sadly as she brushed a few strands of hair out of my face. "That's fine, we just wanted to-"  
>"Let me see her!" I jumped and couldn't help but groan as pain boiled through my veins. I blinked the dark spots from my vision as I turned to look at Bridget confusedly. She smiled halfheartedly.<p>

"He insisted he see you."

"Not by our choice."

"Shush Blaire, I'll go get Boomer for you." Bridget stood up and made her way to the door across the room. It had barely opened before Boomer forced his way into the room. His hair stuck out at odd angles, as if he had been tugging at it mercilessly and there was a wild glint in his eyes. It was in this moment that the memories came back to me. All the pain, the humiliation, and most importantly the identity of who had betrayed me.

"Don't let this monster in the room," I hissed, my body instantly tensing as they landed on Boomer. The blonde boy stepped back, surprised. "I remember, I trusted you and you-" I couldn't finish my sentence, but I didn't need to, Bridget and Blaire had already stepped forward to shield me.

"Brooke, what are you talking about, I-"

"Don't try and play dumb, we both know you're smarter than that." The hurt in Boomer's face was evident, but I wasn't buying it. I knew better. Blaire stepped forward, her hand began to glow a vibrant green.

"I knew you guys were scum the moment you returned to Townsville," Blaire spat, "How could you hurt her?" The hurt was soon replaced with confusion as Boomer gave me a pleading look.

"You think _I _did this?"

"I trusted you, you betrayed me, and now you're here like nothing happened." I couldn't ignore the tears that welled up in my eyes. How could I be so stupid? My sisters had been right all along. "If you're going to attack, you might as well, I know you said my sisters were next."

"What are you talking about Brooke!" Boomer exclaimed, the desperation was thick in his voice. "I'm not going to attack you? I just got you to trust me, do you honestly think I'd go through that hassle to screw it all up?"

"Well you are dumb?" Blaire offered. Bridget cast her a stern glare and turned back to me.

"Brooke, weren't you sitting with Boomer when you left for the mission? How is it possible that he was the one who committed the crime?" Bridget offered calmly. How could she be calm?

"I don't maybe his brothers started it and Boomer came to finish the job," Blaire stated.

"Screw you too Butterbutt." My gaze fell on the door as Brick and Butch made their way idly through the entrance and behind Boomer. It was Butch who had talked. "I was in detention for skipping class and mouthing off to a teacher, Brick had gone to the principal to try and get me out at the time of the robbery, we have witnesses if you don't believe us." Boomer locked eyes with me after that, he was hurt, even I could catch that.

"I would never do this to you Brooke. I promise." I looked at him, and for some reason, I felt like I had to believe him. Boomer was telling the truth, but that didn't make me feel any better.

"But then who-"

"Boomer would have had to be in two places at once if he did. And that's not possible-" Bridget trailed off, her pink eyes widening as she pulled out her phone and began scrolling through some files. "Do you girls remember the case a few months back?"

"You're going to have to be a little more specific than that," Blaire snapped as the energy in her hand dissipated. "We've had a few cases in the last month."

"The one at Utonium Labs, where a couple vials of Chemical X were stolen, we never found out who did it," Bridget explained as she read the details from her phone.

"What does that have to do with Boomer?" Brick asked flatly. His red eyes flashed dangerously as they met Bridget's. "You aren't accusing us of stealing too, are you? We just got here a few months ago, it wasn't us." Bridget rolled her eyes as she took a seat at the foot of my bed.

"That's not what I'm saying. It's possible that somebody cloned you guys, to use you as weapons. I mean it's not impossible, you guys are technically clones of us, why not make clones of the clones?" Bridget explained gravely. "Only this time, they engineered you guys to be killing machines."

"Babe if you haven't noticed we are killing machines," Butch gloated with a wink. Blaire cracked her knuckles loudly and shoved the brunette harshly into the wall. "It sounds like something Mojo Jojo would do though. I'm sure he was pissed when we abandoned him to work for the military. I guess he didn't appreciate that his greatest creations were rewired to help the good guys." Brick nodded in agreement.

"He's the only one with our DNA, so that makes sense," Brick agreed gruffly. "And he obviously doesn't like you girls, so I guess he'd get rid of you before he came after us."

"So we're all in danger as long as these clones exist?" Bridget pondered. "Then I guess it's up to us to stop them." I inhaled sharply. Was she really suggesting what I think she was? It was Blaire who ended up voicing my thoughts.

"Are you suggesting that we work with the Rowdyruff Boys, like as a team?" Blaire hissed as she thrust a thumb in their direction. "I know you're supposed to be the smart one Bridget, but that is just about the dumbest thing I ever heard you say. They're our enemies, not to mention-"

"There's no other option Blaire. Mojo Jojo is all of our enemies at this point and we're the only one's who can stop him."

"I agree with Bridget, but we can't go in there blindly, we need to make a plan," I offered weakly. Bridget glanced over her shoulder and smiled softly.

"Brooke's right," she turned her attention to the Rowdy's, "So are you with us?" The boys looked at each other curiously, it was Boomer who responded though.

"Anything to make sure Brooke is safe." And with that, the Powerpuff Girls had formed an alliance with the Rowdyruff Boys.


	11. Darkness

**Guess what! One more chapter left and this story will be officially over. Read and Review, it really does encourage me to keep making stories guys! I love you all.**

"I think we should split up for this mission, it'll probably catch Mojo and the clones completely off guard if we do." Bridget began as she hovered behind a cluster of trees. Mojo's hideout stood a fair distance away. To any passerby it would look like an abandoned warehouse, rundown and dirty. The perfect place for an evil monkey genius. "Brick and I will head up the sneak attack, we are the quietest and most nimble on our feet—" she cast Blaire and Butch a wary glance, but they didn't seem to be paying attention.

Butch shuffled back and forth and flexed his muscles; Blaire was too busy casting him testing glares. Brick narrowed his eyes and cleared his throat at the pair. Butch immediately came to attention, his gaze returning halfheartedly to Bridget, Blaire also followed suit.

"As I was saying—Butch and Blaire will use a head on attack, distract the Clones while Brick and I enter from the wings and flank Mojo." Bridget continued sternly. Blaire and Butch both smirked at their orders. "Boomer," Bridget turned to the blonde and frowned. "I suppose you should come with Brick and I, we may need a little more back up." I frowned at her final statement, something wasn't adding up. I rubbed my bandaged arm absentmindedly and bit my bruised lip.

"But what about—"

"Brooke, I think your condition is too critical for any action, I think it would be best if you just—you know—keep watch." Bridget explained lamely. She turned away from my hurt expression and flew toward the others to explain the plan. Was she serious? Boomer cast me and apologetic gaze and floated over to the other four. She was serious. I watched as one by one the others shot into the sky, leaving me alone in the woods.

My forearm prickled with a faint pain but I ignored it as I limped to the edge of the tree lines. The faint glow of my sisters and the Rowdy's lit up the night sky, but they moved swiftly. I wouldn't have noticed them if I hadn't been looking. I used my X ray vision to see through the warehouse and strained my ears. The Boomer clone was knelt before none other than Mojo Jojo. He hadn't changed much; he was still disgusting and appeared to be just as evil. I guess some things never do change.

"Master, from my personal report, I am very happy to inform that the blue Powerpuff has been temporarily detained." The blue clone noted with an ever present smirk. "I should hope this news is satisfactory." His smirk twitched as he pulled away from his Master, his eyes briefly scanning his surroundings. At the time I hadn't noticed, but his eyes weren't Boomer's eyes. They were pure black.

"This is very good news to hear my little Boomer Jr. You have made Daddy very proud!" Mojo beamed as he clapped his hands together. "With the more powerful Powerpuff out of the way, taking down the other two shall be a simple task for you and your brothers." I blinked. 'Most powerful'? He couldn't be referring to me.

I scowled to myself and turned away. This was ridiculous; I should be with my sisters and the Rowdys, not staying back on the sidelines. What were they thinking? Why did they even bother that I come along? I tenderly rubbed my forearm again, ignoring the prickling pain that ran through my hand. Despite everything, I was still useless.

"I thought I took care of you Doll Face? I thought you'd be smart enough to at least stay away for a couple of days." My breath caught in the back of my throat as I fixed my eyes on the black abyss of the Boomer Clone's eyes. He crouched himself on the lower limb of one of the trees, his muscles twitching under his uniform. He watched me closely like a feral cat. "You may have survived the last encounter—" He landed nimbly on his feet just in front of me. "But I can ensure you this time, you won't be so lucky."

I pressed myself against the thorny bushes and winced as the branches dug into my arms. The clone smirked and grabbed my chin firmly between his thumb and forefinger, forcing me to make eye contact with his void-like eyes. I bared my teeth at him, but he simply chuckled.

"You really are weak, aren't you? The weakest link, isn't that right? It must be, otherwise Bridget wouldn't have made you keep watch over something that obviously didn't need watching." He continued with a growl. "No one believes in you, not even that pitiful excuse of a bad guy, Boomer."

"Y-You knew we were going to attack?" I sputtered as I tried to pull away from his grip, but he roughly forced my gaze upward.

"I know you're blonde, but did you really think the Powerpuff Girls aren't predictable? We know your every move; we're the clones of your worst enemy. In fact, we're stronger than your worst enemy." He replied sharply. "We aren't dumb; we knew you would try to apprehend us." The Clone smirked and glanced around the empty woods. "I was ready for you." He ran a finger down the side of my face softly, hovering just above the purplish bruise on my temple. I winced and he smiled, his fingers disappearing.

The punch came quicker than I anticipated, right to the stomach too. I coughed loudly and groaned, as I fell full force into the thorny bushes. They hurt, but they wouldn't draw any blood. I tried to sit up, but my bandaged arm stung in the tangled mass of branches. I couldn't pull it out. "Wow, one punch and you already look like you're ready to throw in the towel. I thought, since you were some sort of super human you could at least take a punch?" He grabbed me by my good arm and dragged me from the bushes and into the clearing. He balled another fist and threw another punch at my stomach, sending me back a couple of feet. I landed clumsily on my bad arm and yelped as it hit the concrete with a sickening snap.

I bit back the scream that threatened to push through my teeth and snarled at the Clone. "Why the hell are you targeting me?" I demanded as I cradled my limp arm. The blonde smirked and wiped a bit of dirt from his light blue shirt.

"Quite frankly, I'm doing this for the fun of it, but Mojo also gave me orders to destroy you first." He replied easily as he strolled over to me. His onyx eyes narrowed dangerously as he crouched in front of me, our eyes level. "I can't understand why. You're such an easy target." He knit his fingers through my hair and tugged me upward. I followed willingly, my eyes narrowing. Why was I not fighting back? If I wanted to prove something, I wasn't going to get there by playing victim.

My eyes flashed as I quickly charged a blue bolt in the palm of my good hand and forced it toward the Clone. The bolt met with his side, charring the fabric of his shirt away and meeting his skin. He let go of my hair and grabbed his side irritably. "Little bitch, I didn't say you could use powers against me." He hissed.

"Sorry, didn't know you made the rules," I snapped back as I glared evenly at him. My hands glowed as I squared my shoulders. "However, I'm never 'all quite there' long enough to know the rules, so why should I play by them." I added with a smirk.

"Is little Bubbles trying to be confident? How cute." The Clone sneered as he raised his hand, a deep midnight bolt charging in his palm. He took a step forward and I raised my hands, ignoring the skips of my heart. Before I could react, the Clone shot forward his fist curling and making contact with my nose. If the sickening crunch wasn't enough, the salty red that ran into my mouth was enough to bring tears to my eyes. I bitterly spit the blood on the ground and held my hand to my nose. "What can the fragile doll not handle pain? Pathetic."

I grimaced and brought my fist up under his jaw, sending the asshole back about 30 yards. He stood, spitting some frothy pink into the grass. "I think you're the fragile doll." I muttered under my hand. The blood was still flowing but I stood up and glared at him. Black dots danced across my vision, but I stepped forward. Under the light of the moon, the Clone's face contorted and twisted into an unrecognizable mass of hatred. How could he have the DNA of Boomer?

He threw a small bolt at my bandaged arm and tore the gauze away with the small zaps of electricity. I glanced down at the sticky red thread that laced my arm together and gagged. Warm puke danced up my throat, but I swallowed it. I wasn't getting sick this early in the fight. The Clone was now at my side, his hands grasping my shoulders as he pinned me to the ground.

He knelt over my, his face unbearably close to mine. "You know, it doesn't have to be this way. You could very easily give me something, and I'll leave you alone." He ran a hand up my thigh and smirked. "Seeing you in pain is kind of turning me on doll face." I bared my teeth and spit. The Clone reeled backwards, disgusted. "Or we can play like this if that's how you like it." He hissed as he grabbed me harshly by the knee and twisted.

I bit my knuckles to keep the scream back. The Clone peeled himself off me and sneered. With my good arm, I reached for my knee, which now twisted itself in an awkward angle. Inhaling sharply, I prepared myself for the pain that was to come and popped it back into its socket. My teeth dug deeper into my hand and I tasted blood.

"You're pathetic Bubbles, can't even take this pain? Boy, you're in quite a bit of trouble, and there's no one to help." I shakily sat up, pushing the pain away the best I could, and failing. He had a point, not about being pathetic, but I was in trouble. I was in trouble because I was a Powerpuff girl, and it was time started acting like it.

I used all the energy I had to hover, so that I didn't have to put my leg on the ground. I couldn't afford passing out. Black dots continued to dance around the corners of my vision, but I forced myself to stay focus. This was my fight, it was time to turn the tables in my favor. My hands began to spark with energy as I mustered more strength. I needed this to be timed just right. Before I could do anything I was shot to the ground again. Damn it.

"You know this really isn't that fun when you aren't even trying. I mean causing you pain is fun and all, but-"

"You're going to feel ten times the pain you put her through asshole." Before I could comprehend what was happening, Boomer swooped down and body slammed into his clone, sending both of them into the ground with a sickening crunch. I sat up and glanced at the pair, ignoring the searing pain that shot through my whole body. The real Boomer wrestled his clone into the ground and our eyes met for an instant. "I'm sorry." Was all he mouthed.

"So what exactly do you have planned for me?" the clone slurred as he fought against Boomer. I grimaced, we really needed to silence that asshole. "Do you honestly think you can beat me," the clone overpowered Boomer in that instant, sending him hurtling a few dozen feet, "I know your every move. I'm a clone of _you_." I froze. If I didn't do something quick, Boomer was going to be in big trouble. Think Bubbles think-I hadn't called myself in that a long time. The pair now were in the air and the fight had turned grave. It was a lot more than a fist fight at this point.

My hands began to buzz with energy as stare at the sparring boys. The clone's back is to me, but my Boomer isn't exactly winning the fight. I ignored the blood that still poured from my nose and the throbbing of my knee, Boomer was my top priority at this point. I aimed my bolts at the back of the clone's head. His figure jolted toward the earth and with a ground rumbling thud, the clone made contact. I crawled over to the edge of the crater he had made and Boomer joined me. The Boomer clone was at the bottom, soot covered and motionless.

"Brooke, you did it," Boomer exclaimed as he tenderly began to scoop me into his arms. I shook my head and shrugged him away. I had the itch that this fight wasn't over yet. "What's wrong?"

"Get your brother's. Now."

"But-"

"Please Boomer, just trust me on this. Go get them." Boomer stared at me for a moment, but turned away and shot in the sky toward the warehouse. I peered back at the clone. He began to stir and sit up.

"What gave me away doll face?"

"Just a hunch." I winced when he turned to face me. His face had been burned by my blast. Flesh bubbled and charred around his left eye, leaving him even more sinister looking than before. "Why wait to attack until he was gone, you were obviously beating him?" It was in that moment I regretted my words. The clone scaled the side of the crater easily and was over me in a matter of seconds. I turned to gaze up at him, my back now to the crater.

"Just trying to catch you off guard. Looks like it worked, almost too well in fact." The Boomer clone shot me square in the chest sending me down into the pit. I groaned as I felt my chest throb. It was most likely bleeding, but I couldn't bring myself to look. I would definitely throw up then. "It's really been a pleasure killing you, but if you don't mind I'm going to finish the job." With the last of my strength I forced myself to sit up. I was now blinded with pain, my vision had gone completely black, but I forced myself to charge more energy. I sent bolt after bolt of energy, using every drop of will I had in me to hit some part of the clone. My vision began to clear slightly and I saw I had been somewhat successful. The clone didn't look so good, more flesh had charred and one of his arms lay limp and useless at his side. I could win this.

It was at that moment my body gave out though. I felt my chest burn and I felt the long gash that I had been too afraid to look at. I felt the blood squeeze through the tender muscle and I struggled to take in a breath. A blue light let me focus my attention, and a green one, and a red one. My body relaxed as I watched the Rowdyruff boys take charge. I let the darkness overtake me in that moment. I had nothing left. Blackness enveloped me as soon as the Rowdy's shot their energy. I was finally safe.


	12. End

**This is kind of sad guys. I'm really gonna miss writing about Brooke and Boomer. But now it's onto different characters (Like Blaire and Butch lol) I hope you guys enjoyed this fic. I worked really hard on it. Please give feedback and let me know if you have any good insults for Blaire to spit at Butch :) Viva la Powerpuff Girl!**

_I sit in a bright white room, the pureness of it all clouding my vision with little black dots. I grab my head and moan, desperate to stop the spinning. But I know, deep down, that I'm not moving. The only thing in the room is a small chair, the one I'm sitting on. After that, there is only vast emptiness. "W-where am I?" I ask softly, my voice barely above a whisper. The only response I receive is silence. As I look around, I know nothing is familiar. "W-where am I," I croak again, louder this time. Still nothing,_

_I glance down at my hands and note that there is no blood smearing them. They are clean as well, like everything in this space. Irritation washes over me as I clasp and unclasp my hands. "I better not be dead." I state clearly into the emptiness. "I will be so pissed off if this is how it ends." I add after a brief pause. When I don't think I'm going to get a response, the room surprises me._

"_Oh trust me, if you were dead, you'd know." A voice echoes in the back of my skull. It wasn't a voice physically, but I could still hear it. Before me a young girl appears. Her hair is chestnut brown and she wears a purple dress._

"_Bunny?" I question, awestruck._

"_I'm glad you remember me." She replies with a girlish giggle. The sound resonates in my head, yet it brings a smile to my face as I stand and embrace her._

"_How could I ever forget you Bunny?" I pull away from her, my brow furrowing. "But, if I'm not dead, what are you doing here?" The young girl smiles cheerfully and takes my hand. She doesn't open her mouth to speak, but her words still ring out clear._

"_I was sent to give you a message Bubbles." She states. I wince at my real name, but don't make a move to correct her. "Your mind is stronger than your sisters' are. I hope you've figured that out already?."_

"_What are you talking about?"_

"_Mojo targeted you first for a reason, and it certainly wasn't because you were the weakest link. Don't waste your mind and-" Bunny cuts in. Her eyes meet mine, purple with blue. Despite her age, she looks smart and far happier than she had been in the short time I knew her. "-Please, don't forget me." The plea in her eyes is overwhelming, but it doesn't stop me from wrapping my arms around her again._

"_Never."_

_Bunny pulls away from me and smiles. "Well, then I suppose it's time for you to wake up. Remember, use your mind, it's a gift." She beams, but her outline already begins to falter. My vision focuses and blurs as the pounding in my head starts again._

"Brooke, are you awake?" Someone hissed urgently. My eyes snapped open, and I made an effort to sit up—but quickly regretted the decision. I moaned and fell back on my bed. My head pulsated and I could feel the broken bones shifting. God I hated Chemical X sometimes. Bridget's face came into focus when I decided to open my eyes again. Her face was pale, sickly pale, and her eyes were puffy and red. Had she been crying? "Thank God you're awake. I was so stupid to make you stay back, I should have known they would have been targeting you, I should have—"

Her words were moving so fast by this point that they were jumbled together. I tried to press the bridge of my nose in frustration, but my forearm seared with pain whenever I moved it. Was there a part of my body that didn't hurt? "Bridget, breath, I can't even understand you." I mumbled after several moments of trying to sort my sister's thoughts. Bridget froze, her pink eyes locking in on me. I could tell she wanted to continue blaming herself. She always blamed herself when things went wrong.

"Boomer hasn't left your side." Bridget started again quietly, her eyes falling to her hands. "We finally got him to go and eat something, so I thought I'd stay with you." She added when I glanced around the room. "I'm so sorry Brooke. I owe you an apology, Blaire and I haven't been very supportive. We shouldn't have treated you like you were weak. You proved how wrong we were." She continued as the twisted her tomato red hair around her finger.

"You don't have to apologize, I am—"

"No, you're not, that's why I'm apologizing. You are strong and I should never doubt that. You're my sister and I didn't have faith in you. That's even worse than letting this happen to you. It was the reason this happened to you, don't you see Brooke!" Bridget exclaimed, her voice cracking. I could see the tears welling up in her eyes and I hesitated.

"It's not your fault Bridget." I insisted quietly. I reached out to grab her hand, ignoring the sparks of pain that shot through my body, and squeezed. "I will never blame you for what happened." I stated. Bridget nodded, but I could tell she was far from okay. I doubted my words even reached her. What could I do? She was always so one-track minded about everything. If she thought something was her fault, it would stay her fault. I wanted to convince her that wasn't the case, but she had already stood.

"I'll send Boomer in to come see you when he gets back." She said softly. "Try to not move too much. The Professor said you had a lot of broken bones and the Chemical X is working constantly to fix you." Bridget added knowingly as she shut the door behind her. I winced as I felt some of my bones shift a little. I could definitely feel the Chemical X working.

Had I really done it? Had I taken on a Clone, designed to destroy me, and lived—well not alone, but I was still here, wasn't I? Maybe I wasn't so weak after all, maybe Boomer had been right. "Boomer," I whispered breathlessly. I needed to see him. He hadn't left my bedside and I'm sure he was beating himself up just as bad as Bridget was, maybe even more.

"I need to see her!" I perked up in bed at the muffled voice on the other side of the door. A searing pain shot up my spine and made my vision go a little blurry, but I didn't mind. The sound of clumsy shuffling came next and a heated battle with the doorknob, and I couldn't help but giggle, painful as it was. Boomer poked his head in after several moments. He looked almost as bad as I did. His hair was matted against his forehead, and the bags under his eyes were noticeable from across the room. Had he slept? A relieved smile slid across his face.

"Hey," He breathed as he took a step into the room.

"Hey," I replied with a small smile.

"You're awake." He stated after several moments of silence. I nodded hesitantly as he took a step closer to me. "You've been out for a couple of days. I was afraid that you weren't—"

"Going to wake up?" I finished softly. He nodded sheepishly as he knelt down at my bedside and grasped my hand. I winced, but didn't say anything. This was a good kind of pain.

"I'm so—"

"Please, don't say that this is your fault," I stated clearly. "It's not anyone's fault but my own." I bit my lip and let my thoughts overtake me for a moment before quickly adding. "I'm too strong for my own good."

Boomer laughed anxiously and squeezed my hand, but his grip slackened when he saw the pain twist my face. "I see that you're well enough to start cracking jokes." He replied with a half smile. "I'm really glad you're okay though. I didn't know what I would do if you had...you know."

"But I didn't Boomer, please stop worrying about me, I'm just as capable as my sisters. I don't need to be looked after just because everyone thinks I'm—"

"I never said I was worried you couldn't handle yourself, I didn't want to lose you, Brooke." He cut in sheepishly. I anticipated what was coming next and melted into his lips when he placed them to mine. My body screamed as I forced myself to sit up and deepen the kiss. I didn't care. I was happy. So this is what it felt like?

Boomer pulled away, his smile pressed tightly across his face. "I've been waiting to do that for awhile you know?" He noted with a small knowing smirk.

"Oh I know," I teased with a wink. Boomer placed his lips to mine again. At that moment, I knew everything was going to be alright. I was strong. I was important. I was a Powerpuff Girl.


End file.
